Now You're One of Us

Summary:
While vacationing, Alice and Jasper Hale stumble across the planning of a massacre. Emma Volding is a six-year-old who's mother is killed in the fray. Seeing she has a similar gift, Carlisle grants permission for Alice and Jasper to take her in as theirs.

Notes:
My first Twilight fanfic. It has gotten a lot of positive feedback at Fanfiction.net. And I wanted to share it with other Twilight fans.

3. Chapter 3

Alice had a foreboding feeling as they crossed the grassy path towards the main house. She tried not to convey this to Jasper. But it was hard. Jasper was keeping tabs on her emotions. She stopped just outside the main house, and turned to face him. “I don’t know where they’re planning to have this thing, but I know there is a grand ball room in the main house somewhere. That’d be the place, if it was me.”

“Yeah.” Jasper narrowed his eyes, worry apparent. “I don’t smell them anywhere.” He seemed even more alarmed at that.” He ran a hand through his unruly hair, and sighed deeply. “Alice, this is too big for just us. We should call the others.”

Alice nodded. “You’re probably right.” In a fluid movement, she had her phone out, and was speaking quietly to Carlisle about the situation .Jasper listened, and was surprised when Alice mentioned the child in the lobby. He looked around, while she talked. He thought he’d heard….

“Emma!” He didn’t wait for Alice. He ran as fast as he could, heading back towards their building He didn’t even notice Alice follow him a split second later. He paused only briefly in front of the door where he heard the screaming.

“They’re on their way. Emmett, Carlisle and Edward are coming.” Alice had caught up with her husband, and she stared at the door. “We can’t wait that long. What if she gets hurt?”

“On it.” Jasper broke the door in, and let loose with a ferocious growl, meant to startle whoever was in the room. It worked. He found himself facing a young boy with curly brown locks. “Who are you?”

“None of your business.” The boy sputtered, glaring at the intruder. “Marie warned me about you two. You won’t stop me from throwing her birthday just the way she wants it.” He glared at the human child that laid curled up in the bed. She was screaming in terror. “Will you shut up?!”

“You’d be screaming too if you were terrified. Where is the girl’s mother?” Jasper asked fiercely. He watched Alice go over and scooped the girl up silently. “Well?” He nodded to Alice. His wife was wanting to take Emma out of the room. He thought that was a pretty good idea. He wasn’t so sure he could control his temper much longer, and he didn’t want Emma to see what he might end up doing. “Answer me. Where is she?!”

“She is no longer human. She should be waking up about now...” The boy replied. A cold smile played on his lips. “I was going to offer her something better.” His eyes darted to Alice’s disappearing form. “But you’ve ruined that for me.” He lunged, and was caught off guard, when Jasper hit him in the gut. “O-ow…” He fell back against a wall.

“What you’re doing is wrong!” He glared at the boy, his eyes dark with fury. “The humans aren’t supposed to know of our existence!”

“They ain’t gonna live to tell about it!” The boy retorted. “My sister wanted this, and I can’t disappoint her.” He crouched, ready to fight again.

Jasper stood still. “It’s not right.” He was trying to pacify the boy, using his gift to manipulate his emotions.

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Meanwhile Alice was trying her best to calm the girl, without crushing her bones. “Shhh…” She stroked Emma’s hair gently. She wished Jasper was there. He could take care of her emotions, and calm her. Alice had the feeling that Emma was not only consumed by her own fear, but she now carried Jasper’s fury, and Alice’s own panic over the situation at hand. She was about to suggest cartoons to Emma when there came a knock at the door. She held Emma in her arms as she answered the door to Edward, Carlisle and Esme. “Esme!” She was delighted. Another female to help her calm the girl.

“Emmett already went to help Jasper.” Carlisle clarified Alice’s unanswered question. His eyes were on the small child in his adopted daughter’s arms. “And who is this pretty little thing?”

“This is Emma.” Alice replied quietly. She held her out to Esme, who was reaching for her. “Her mother…was turned.” She said the last part very quietly. “And there was another, who was going to kill her.”

Edward snarled lightly. “I hope Jasper and Emmett destroy him good!” He looked over at Emma. “She could’ve passed for a young Bella, you know..”

“Read my mind…” Carlisle was checking Emma over for any serious injuries. “It looks like she might be alright”

“But what do we do with her?” Alice wondered out loud. “The Volturi will surely be wanting to dispose of her, after all this…” She said just loud enough for Edward to catch. Her adopted brother nodded.

“She’s right.” Esme frowned. She was watching silently. The girl with the brown eyes smiled gently up at the woman. Esme held her closely, trying to make her feel as secure as possible. “Sh.”

Carlisle nodded at some silent exchange between himself and Edward. “That seems logical. If we raised her, and kept her from finding out anything else…” He turned to Esme. “But why not let Alice and Jasper raise her?”

Alice’s golden eyes lit up. “Really, Carlisle? I think it would be really good for Jasper! And Renesmee would have a playmate.”

“Indeed. This could work out really well.” Carlisle nodded, just as the door opened. Jasper and Emmett came in looking smug. “I trust you took out both of them?”

“Well. There were three…” Jasper looked really distraught. One of the three had been the child’s mother. “How is she?”

“Truly traumatized…” Esme reported, before holding the girl out to Jasper. “Maybe you can be of assistance to her…” When Jasper hesitated, she smiled encouragingly. “You can help her.”

Jasper very carefully took the little girl into his arms, and hugged her gently, trying to project a feeling of calm, and security. Most of all, he wanted to project a sense of safety in his arms. He glanced over at Alice. His wife was watching him very silently, pleased for some reason. “What is it?” He had Emma’s head on his shoulder, moving back and forth gently with her.

“Esme and Carlisle have given their blessing for us to take Emma in as our own.” She walked over. Emma was calmer now. All that remained of her hysteria was occasional sniffling. The little girl was nestled comfortably in Jasper’s arms.

“I don’t know, Alice…” Jasper said slowly. He put one hand in Emma’s hair, and stroked the girl’s soft locks, continuing to project the feeling of security to her. “What makes you think that’s a good idea…?”

“Well. Do you remember what happened the last time a human found out about us?” Alice was referring to Bella. “After what happened with Bella, I can’t say that this is the best solution, but the more obvious one is too cruel.” Alice touched a cool hand to Emma’s cheek. The girl was asleep in Jasper’s arms. “Do you realize what you’ve just done?” She smiled.

Jasper smiled lightly, and he laid the little girl down gently on the bed, and covered her up. “Well. I can’t see where the trouble would come from…She’s young enough we can teach her things. And Renesmee will be able to help her, being half human.”

“I have Renesmee’s car seat in the back..” Edward offered now. He had been mostly quiet. He hated to see innocent children having their lives upset by their kind. When he’d heard that there was a child involved, he’d been hesitant. Getting a child involved n their world was illegal, and punishable by death. In the end, he’d gone with his parents and adopted brother. “Rose is going to have a problem with it…”

“Let me take care of Rose.” Emmett replied. He’d crossed over to the bed, and was studying the little girl. “She’s young…”

“Indeed.” Carlisle nodded. “Jasper and Alice can handle this. I’m sure of it.” He smiled at his adopted children. “We should get out of here now.”

“Right..” Alice looked troubled now. “But what do we tell her when she wakes up, and we’re not here anymore?”

“The truth, as much as needed.” Carlisle replied. “Can you boys show me where they were staying? We’ll need to bring some of her things with us…”

“Right.” Emmett looked at Jasper. “Do you want me to go?” He could see Jasper was reluctant to leave his new responsibility.

“Yeah…take Edward and Alice with you. They’ll know better what she’ll need…” Jasper sat in a chair next to Emma. “Carlisle..are you sure no harm can come to her if we do this? The Volturi won’t think….?”

“And if they do, we’ll just prove that she’s fine.” Esme replied for her husband. The young looking woman came and gently smoothed the little girl’s curls. “She’s so precious…”

“She is…” Carlisle smiled. “Jasper, this will be good for you, you know.”

Jasper shrugged, and began to gather up his and Alice’s luggage. I still don’t know how good this will be for any of us. The closest we’d come to raising a human was having Bella around. This will be totally different. We’ll have to be careful of everything we say and do from here on out. He glanced to the girl’s sleeping form, and allowed himself a smile. It would be nice to feel wanted and needed by someone other than Alice. He put the last of their clothing away in the suitcase, and turned to take it to their car.

Alice and Edward returned with a small suitcase of the child’s clothing a bit later, and a few toys too. “The poor things hadn’t even had time to unpack completely.” Alice said quietly to her husband as Jasper added the girl’s suitcase to their trunk.

“It is a shame…” Jasper nodded. “I wish we’d been able to stop the whole thing from happening.” He went back into their room. Emmett was talking to the young girl, who was awake.

“You like riding horses? That’s cool. Well, I can’t promise horses where we’re going, but it’s very nice.” Emmett glanced up at Jasper. “She’s cute. Just like Nessie.” He reached over, and ruffled her hair a bit, grinning. Emma responded, giggling a little. She liked the one called Emmett a lot.

“Yeah…” Jasper went over, and knelt to her level. “You ready to come away with us?”

Emma considered her answer for a long moment. She had a lot of questions. Like, who were these other people with Jasper and Alice? But the most important and most urgent one was about her mother. She didn’t ask it right away. She wasn’t sure she was ready for the answer. She finally nodded. Whatever their intentions, even the six-year-old understood it was well meaning. “Where are we going?”

“Oh, to a small town called Forks, Washington.” Alice knelt down to help her into her jacket. She zipped her up. “But the house you’re about to move into is huge.”

Emma nodded. She was familiar with large houses. She’d been living in them for as long as she could remember. She held out her hand to Alice, who took it. She flinched just slightly. The girl’s hand was cold, like ice. “Is…?” She wanted to ask if Jasper was going to be coming with them. She hadn’t missed the hesitancy both times he’d handled her.

“Hmm?” Alice blinked, noting her hesitancy in asking the question she wanted to. She guessed questions weren’t something her elders had allowed before.

“She’s wanting to know if Jasper is coming too…” Edward said quietly to his sister. “She felt his reluctance about the situation.”

“Jasper just needs time…” Alice replied so quietly that only Edward heard her.

Jasper smiled lightly, taking her from his wife. He slipped her hood on over her head to cover her from the rain. “I wouldn’t let Alice go anywhere without me.” He held her gently, as he and the rest of the family left the room. He let Edward help him get her settled in the car seat. “Thanks, Edward…” His brother nodded silently, and got into the second car with his other family members. Jasper got into the driver’s seat of his and Alice’s car, and they left, heading back to their home. His last thought was one of irony. They’d gone to get away from the family. Instead, they were bringing more family home.